


Desperate Times

by szm



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, hooker!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-19
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-16 15:17:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/540867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szm/pseuds/szm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is a hooker who specializes in werewolves. His Dad is really sick, Derek is taking an unexplained interest, and the Argents are back in town. (AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was coming up when Stiles made his way over to where his jeep and Scott was waiting for him. Stiles hated these streets in daylight, at night they were pretty awful but in the cold light of day there was no hiding how dirty and uncared for this part of town really was. Stiles felt his feet quicken as Scott beamed at him, genuinely pleased to see Stiles just because they were friends. Most days it felt like Scott was the only one who didn’t want something from him.

“Good night?” asked Scott handing over a large coat and the keys to the jeep. 

Stiles thankfully pulled the coat over the too-thin-for-the-season clothes he was wearing. His v-neck t-shirt in particular was clinging and a little damp from the short sharp shower earlier in the night. “Good enough,” replied Stiles unable to pull out his usual smile for Scott. He felt tired, worse than that he felt _old_.

Scott of course noticed, they’d been friends for years. “Stiles… what’s wrong?”

Stiles just shrugged and climbed into the jeep. “Slow night, didn’t make enough, Dad’s medical bills aren’t going to pay themselves.” Scott made the face that Stiles hated. “Scott, just leave it, okay? I don’t have any other options. I am not going to let my Dad _die_.”

“There are other ways, Stiles. Hooker to werewolves can’t be the only option you have,” Scott sounded resigned. It was an old argument. 

“Werewolves pay better,” counted Stiles. 

Because human hooker to werewolves is stupidly dangerous neither of them said, and very few are dumb or desperate enough to do it.

“Besides,” said Stiles pulling the jeep out onto the road and pointing it in a homewards direction. “I have my big bad werewolf pimp for protection.”

Scott’s face turned red from a mix of embarrassment and anger. “I am not your pimp,” he ground out through gritted teeth. 

Stiles sighed and flashed his friend a genuine smile. “I know, buddy.” Scott looked even more uncomfortable for a spilt-second and Stiles knew what was coming next. “No,” he said flatly.

Scott grimaced. “Working from Derek’s would be safer. You’d get more money too.”

“Not once Derek has had his 25%,” scoffed Stiles. “Plus all his kids are strung out on the promise of becoming werewolves one day. It’s creepy, it’s _beyond_ creepy.”

“He turned Erica,” argued Scott, but without much heat. It’s not like he actually disagreed with anything Stiles was saying after all. But it had to be safer than what his friend was doing now.

“Hang on,” said Stiles suspiciously. “When did you see Erica?”

“She found me tonight, after you went off with the dude in the buick,” Scott replied wincing at Stiles expression.

“And offered what? A place in Derek’s brothel? … Stable?” asked Stiles angrily.

Scott dropped his eyes away from Stiles face. “She called it a kennel…” he mumbled.

“I hope you told her to go back and tell Derek to fuck himself?” Stiles snarled, almost as well as any wolf.

“Stiles, he’s offering a one off payment just to talk to you. It’s a lot. It’d make a hell of a dent in this month’s hospital bills,” offered Scott.

“They offered it to you,” said Stiles sounding offended.

“Well,” replied Scott. “You do keep telling people I’m your pimp…”

**

Stiles is not sure how he ends up at the Hale house two days later but he’s willing to blame Scott for it. Even if Scott is next to him, twice as uncomfortable as Stiles, and he doesn’t _have_ to be. He could be at home right now, watching a movie, playing the x-box, or trying to make sense of his homework. Stiles pushes the guilt about dragging his friend into this away and focuses on the dark wooden door in front of him. The place doesn’t look at all inviting. It was burned down years ago, Derek rebuilt it when he came back to Beacon Hills, but it’s always been a brothel run by werewolves. Derek’s grandmother founded it, and then Derek’s uncle ran it, now Derek. Family run business, which Stiles thinks is not a little weird and creepy. Then again he’s hardly in a position to judge these days.

“Dude, one of us probably needs to ring the bell?” said Scott making it sound like a question.

Stiles gestured to the door. “By all means, it was your dumb idea.”

Scott set his determined face on and stepped forward. Stiles rolled his eyes behind Scott’s back, he loved Scott he really did but Scott had such a need to save everyone. It was unbelievably sweet and unbelievably annoying all at the same time. Erica pulled the door open as Scott pressed the bell; she stood there grinning at them as the chimes faded away. She looked… perfect, and dangerous. A month ago before she’d been turned she’d looked broken. Helpless in a way some of the less pleasant clients liked. She was wearing a tight white t-shirt and a very small amount of leather that was being asked to do an awful lot. She swept her eyes up and down Stiles. He was not working right now, so he’d worn baggy jeans and layers. They felt weirdly like defiance and amour all at the same time. 

“You’re late,” she said with a flash of white teeth that looked like a smile but didn’t feel like one.

“No we’re not,” said Scott, glancing at his phone and looking confused.

Stiles pushed past her, ignoring her growl. “We will be if Catwoman here doesn’t let us through.”

Erica’s eyes flashed gold. “You smell like prey,” she whispered teeth and claws lengthening as she took a step towards Stiles only to run into Scott’s chest as he put himself between her and his best friend. 

“Nearly full moon. Is it your first?” he asked with a combination of threat and sympathy that Stiles was pretty sure only Scott could pull off. 

“Erica,” came a deep warning voice from the shadows of the hallway. Erica backed off quick as Derek stepped forward. Stiles fought his own urge to back away. Derek scared him, and he wasn’t too proud to admit that. Clients on the whole were easy enough to deal with; he at least knew what they wanted. He couldn’t work out what Derek wanted, which made him almost impossible to predict. Stiles pulled himself up straighter and met Derek’s eye instead. He knew that was a challenge but being scared had always made him stupid.

Derek glared back, possibly angry that Stiles wasn’t playing by the rules. “Stiles,” he ground out. “We should find somewhere quieter to talk.”

“Scott stays with me,” replied Stiles. “We’re only here to get the money, hear you out, and say no. In that order.” He held out his hand.

Derek’s glare intensified, if that was even possible. But he reached inside his jacket and passed a stuffed envelope over to Stiles. Stiles did a quick rough count of the bills inside.

Erica snorted. “Classy.”

“No-one in this building is classy, Erica,” replied Stiles passing the envelope over to Scott. “Except Scott, of course. He’s classy. So Derek, talk.” 

**

Derek led them to a room at the back of the house. It was set up like an office, a computer and neat but clearly well used piles of paper over a large desk. There was a two seat couch in one corner that Derek gestured to as he pulled the desk chair in front. Stiles and Scott sat on the couch and Erica stayed outside in the hallway. Derek nodded at her as the door closed. Stiles swallowed a feeling of panic that all his exits were being cut off. Scott grabbed his hand quickly, squeezed it and let go. Stiles smiled at him gratefully. Scott had tried to use his body to block Derek from seeing but Derek noticed the movement anyway and made a sour face. Stiles ignored it, Scott was the greatest person ever and Derek could think what the hell he liked.

“I have an offer,” started Derek. “You come and work here, for me. I’ll guarantee to cover your father’s medical costs, if you make anything above that, I keep it.”

Stiles shocked eyes studied Derek’s face but the other man’s face was blank. “How do you know about my Dad?” he asked.

“I made it my business to know about you,” replied Derek. “Including what happened last Friday.”

“Stalkerwolf,” said Stiles under his breath as Scott asked what happened last Friday. “Nothing,” said Stiles, glaring at Derek. “He’s just making stuff up.”

Derek just smirked at them with his stupid face. “Really? There is a werewolf I know who spent an unpleasant 12 hours trying to get all the wolfsbane off his…”

“Alright,” interrupted Stiles. “I was fine Scott, wolfsbane, remember?”

“Dude, you went out without me? It’s bad enough you’re doing this at all! What if you’d got killed? God, I wouldn’t have even known…”

“Scott, it was fine. He… offered me a lot of money for something and I… changed my mind. He didn’t want to take no for an answer so I made him. It was no big deal,” Stiles said willing Scott to accept it.

Scott got the determined face on again, the one that there really wasn’t any point arguing with. “IF Stiles does this…” started Scott.

“Hey,” interrupted Stiles. But Scott just flashed him a _look_. It wasn’t even a wolf look, just the same 100% Scott look that his friend had been using for years. Scott went along with most everything that Stiles started, the look meant he’s reached a line and it was time to stop.

“If Stiles agrees to this,” Scott repeated, switching the look from Stiles to Derek. “He gets to choose when he works, for an agreed number of hours a month. No working around the full moon.”

Both Stiles and Derek opened their mouths to argue but Scott interrupted them before they could. 

“Not negotiable. Stiles gets to pick his clients, not you or anybody else, if he says no it means no,” continued Scott.

“Of course,” agreed Derek looking furious that Scott would suggest otherwise.

“And,” said Scott carrying on as if Derek hadn’t spoken. “He sets his own prices.”

“His prices are way too low,” scoffed Derek.

There was a silence as both men turned to look at Stiles. Stiles looked back at them eyes wide with pretend shock. “Oh, I’m sorry, to I get to have a say now?” Scott had the grace to look embarrassed, Derek was still glaring. Stiles was beginning to think that was the only setting his face had. Stiles looked at Scott. Scott was worried about him and that made Stiles feel bad. He didn’t want to make Scott’s life any harder than it already was. His life had been hard enough since he’d been bitten by some rogue Alpha a few months ago. “Fine, we’ll give it a trial. One month. At least I’ll be out of the rain.”

Erica smirked at them as they left. Stupid werewolf hearing meant that she’d no doubt heard the whole thing.

Stiles still had a bad feeling about it, and he didn’t trust Derek at all. But he had to admit when he went with his Dad to the latest doctor’s appointment and they started discussing new medication that would cost twice as much as before, Stiles was glad to be able to just agree to it with worrying about the money.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Derek even end up here?

Derek Hale knew what his Uncle Peter did for a living. Sadly so did everyone else at school. Laura didn’t care, just laughed it off when anyone brought it up. But Derek found it harder to deal with the stares and whispers.

So when he met Kate, this beautiful, funny, amazing older woman so seemed to actually like him he just went with it. Hoping that she’d never find out about his family, what his Uncle did. And he was actually happy for a while. Kate didn’t really talk about herself, or her family. Just that she’d done some bad things and was trying to make up for them. At 16 and head over heels in infatuation Derek couldn’t imagine anything that Kate could or would do that would ever hurt anyone. Which really just went to show how weak his imagination was.

“Kate, I’m not really sure…” he started feeling a strange urge to back away from the car. But Kate leaned across the passenger seat to talk to him and her hair brushed against the side of her neck and she smiled and all those stupid romance novels his Aunt read that said someone’s smile being like the sun coming out, or angels singing, were apparently true. Before he could really think about it he was climbing into the car and they were speeding away in the opposite direction to school. Derek let his head drop onto the car seat. “I’m in so much trouble for cutting class already.”

Kate just grinned, far more wolfishly than anyone in Derek’s family which was unfair when you think about it. “Aw, come on, Derek! You’ll learn far more with me than you ever will in school.” She just had this way of _looking_ at him when she said stuff like that. It made him feel shivery and hot, like he wanted to do things he didn’t even have words for. Sex, but not just that, something more, something he was worried he wasn’t allowed. But something that he wanted, so much. “Besides I just need some space away from my family, you know what that’s like.”

Later curled up with Kate in the long grass, sunlight fading and feeling wrung out and simply _happy_ , Derek told her. Told her that his sister had been spending a lot of time with their Uncle. That their parents weren’t happy about it (although he missed out the part about why). That on Saturday evening they were all going over to Uncle Peter’s house for a big family meal and a ‘talk’. He told her how much he hated the confrontation, and how he worried that Laura would just move out now she was 18. Kate held him and stroked his hair. Told him that it would be okay, that families fight. She’d left home at 18, after a huge fight with her Dad. That she was back now, that everything would work out. Derek remembers that evening. He remembers how _safe_ she made him feel.

When Saturday came Laura refused to go to the meal, and Derek stayed with her. Half out of support, and half out of fear she would just disappear. So he wasn’t there when Kate set the fire. He found out later (he went to Kate for comfort, then he was too stunned to do anything but listen as she spat vicious words at him) that Kate had run away from home at 18 and started working for Uncle Peter. When her brother found her and convinced her to go home her Dad made it clear he knew what she’d done. Her family were _hunters_ so she’d hatched her plan to get back in her Fathers good graces. It had all been part of the plan, from their first ‘accidental’ meeting. Nothing about it had been real. He realised how much of himself he’d given her with so very little given in return.

Laura and Derek ran. Laura blaming herself for all the family being in that house, and Derek could never bring himself to tell her the truth, that really he was to blame. When Laura died and he ended up back in Beacon Hills, an Alpha now, starting up the ‘family business’ was the last thing he wanted to do, but then he met Erica and Boyd. 

He was just wandering without any direction in mind. The Argents were gone but the town didn’t feel safe (nothing felt safe), certainly not this part of it. He looked around trying to work out where he was. A girl approached him from the other side of the road. Clothes that had definitely seen better days and a mane of shaggy blonde hair, she was trying to project confidence he could tell, but it just made her look smaller and somehow more breakable. She smelt of chemicals, the kind that usually meant a person was on some kind of long term medication.

“Lost?” she asked, quirk of the head.

Derek growled. “You shouldn’t ask strangers things like that. Especially strangers like me.”

A black man built like the proverbial brick outhouse appeared from the shadows behind the girl, he wasn’t a werewolf and Derek didn’t really see him as a threat but he was clearly trying to present himself as one. 

“I know what you are. Don’t you want to spend some time with me?” asked the girl she was shivering, it was cold.

“You don’t want to be doing this,” said Derek roughly. “Go home.”

“As if it was that easy,” muttered the girl as Derek turned to walk away. And he was going to, but he heard the man shout ‘Erica!’ and the girl fall to the floor. As Derek turned she was convulsing. The fit only lasted a few seconds by the time the man reached Erica it had stopped. He gathered her up and she whimpered, burying her face in his chest. Up close Derek could see that he wasn’t any older than the girl. He looked terrified.

“What was that?” asked Derek.

“She’s epileptic,” the boy said. “She’ll be fine, it didn’t last long. She just needs to sleep now, they don’t happen very often but they take a lot out of her.”

Derek could have walked away. Maybe should have. But he didn’t, instead he said. “Do either of you have anywhere to stay?”

Somehow that led to Derek reopening the Hale house. It was better than Erica and Boyd being on the streets, surely? There was a ‘reception room’ where customers came to find someone they wanted to have sex with (his Uncle had always said ‘spend time’ rather than ‘have sex’, Derek preferred to be honest) Boyd worked behind the bar in there. Erica was a prostitute, and others came asking if they could work there too. Derek hated it but again, far better than them being on the streets, right? Isaac had just come looking for a place to hide from his Dad. But he ended up working there as well. He even seemed to enjoy it. Isaac was the only person besides Erica and Derek that Boyd spoke much to, so it wasn’t like Derek could kick him out. Besides, where would Isaac go? Back to his Father? Derek wouldn’t be the one to send him back to that.

Derek often wondered how he ended up here. Right where he had always sworn he wouldn’t be. He guessed that ultimately the whole path started lying in the long grass with Kate, feeling safe.

**

Stiles stabbed at the milkshake with his straw while Scott gave him his very best I’m-here-for-you expression, punctuated with the furrowed brown of but- I-have-no-idea-why-you’re-upset. Stiles sighed. “I don’t know why he’s doing this. Anyone shows the slightest bit of interest in me then he’s all looming Alpha in the background and they get nervous and leave or go find someone else. Usually they leave. Derek is scary when he wants to be.”

“He’s still paying your Dad’s bills, right?” asked Scott, Stiles nodded. “Then why do you care that you don’t have to have sex with the weird werewolf dudes?”

“He’s not going to keep paying for Dad if I’m not making him any money. And I hate to say if but working from Derek’s is way better than a street corner,” Stiles looked hopelessly at his milkshake. “I just feel like there is something I’m missing here. Why me? I asked around, most of the others basically had to beg Derek to let them work there. It’s…”

“What?” asked Scott dumping the last half of his curly fries onto Stiles’ plate and stealing the last half of Stiles’ burger for himself.

“I was expecting him to be all ‘creepy werewolf pimp’. But it’s like he doesn’t want any of us to be there,” said Stiles picking at the fries. “I… just wish I knew what he wanted, why he’s even doing all this.”


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles was never going to _enjoy_ his job but working indoors with people he was slowly starting to like, even trust a little, was a thousand times better than working off a street corner. Erica was a closet Batman fan and once you got used to Isaac he was just adorable. Boyd was the strong silent type, but a total teddy bear when you got to know him. Derek was still Derek, a brooding and dark presence that scared the customers away until Erica or Isaac made him go away, or at least go and sit in the office out the back. Boyd didn’t work with them, he did everything else. Odd jobs, repairs, cleaning, and barkeeping.

“Hail mighty barkeep!” said Stiles cheerfully, pulling himself onto a stool carefully (jeans this tight should be banned by the Geneva Convention, curse Erica for making him wear them).

Boyd nodded his head. Stiles took this as an invitation to continue.

“Today my good man, I will take a flagon of your finest effervescent water with a cheeky hint of key lime,” said Stiles. Boyd just rolled his eyes and pulled down glass.

“What?” asked Isaac from where he was perched on a client’s lap not far away.

“He means a lime and soda, “rumbled Boyd, filling the glass.

Stiles made a shocked face and pretended to nearly fall off his stool. “Oh my god, it speaks!”

“Sure,” said Isaac with a shrug and a far too innocent looking grin. “Just not to you.”

The client (one of Isaac’s regulars) giggled and whispered something into Isaac’s ear. Isaac smiled shyly and stood up pulling the guy with him. He waved to Stiles and Boyd, taking the guy to Erica at the front desk where he could buy a key to one of the rooms and some of Isaac’s time.

Stiles sipped his drink and took a quick look around the room. Thursday’s were always quiet. There were a couple of the workers who hired rooms from Derek, but Stiles only vaguely knew them. 

“No Sourwolf tonight?” he asked Boyd. 

Boyd shook his head. “He’s out, just said he’d be back later. Who knows? You might even be able to do some work.”

Stiles felt a little self-conscious at the joke, for all it was true. Derek had a habit of putting clients off, especially Stiles’ clients. He just shrugged back at Boyd and changed the subject. “So, did you put the application in?”

Boyd ignored him, cleaning glasses like it was vital to the continued survival of humankind.

“Come on…” wheedled Stiles. “Tell me you did it, Boyd. Boyd. Boooyyyyd…”

“Yes, okay!” Boyd hissed. “I put in an application for the community college. If nothing else just to shut you up.”

Stiles beamed at him. “Dude! It will be awesome, me and Scott will show you round the campus, and you can sit with us at lunch, and…”

“That’s if they let me in,” muttered Boyd under his breath as Erica sauntered over. She leant on Stiles shoulder and stole his drink.

“Hey!” said Stiles but without any real malice. 

Erica took a large swig and put the glass back. “Sweet Zombie Jesus, these shoes are killing me!” she complained leaning her whole body on Stiles. Boyd just smiled at her indulgently. 

“That’s because they are not shoes, Erica,” said Stiles with a sad shake of the head. “Those are daggers you can wear on your feet. How do you even walk in them?!”

A few clients walked in and Erica disappeared off to welcome them in, and the night continued well enough. Stiles got to earn his keep with a couple of semi-regulars. One of whom usually just eyed Stiles up before moving on to someone else when Stiles tried to move it on further. It seemed the lack of the big bad Alpha made him a bit more courageous.

Stiles was showing him (Andy) out just as Scott burst through the door. Scott saw Stiles and just grinned from ear to ear. “Hey! I really need to talk to you!”

Erica grinned from behind the front desk, leaning forwards to flash her boobs at Scott, a move that usually had Scott spluttering and turning red but today he barely even noticed, he was so excited he was practically vibrating on the spot.

“Hey, Catwoman,” said Stiles to Erica, “put them away, huh?”

Erica just stuck out her tongue at him and threw a key at him. It hit him in the chest and he fumbled it, just managing to get a hold before it hit the floor. “Number 4,” she said. “Just this once, it’s not like we’re busy.”

Stiles threw her a grateful salute and pulled Scott towards the stairs. Private conversations were hard to have in a building full of werewolves but the rooms were sound proofed for obvious reasons. 

“Who was that guy?” Stiles heard Andy ask Erica as they left.

“Boyfriend,” replied Erica sounding bored.

Stiles wondered if that had just been for the clients benefit or if Erica really thought Scott was his boyfriend. The idea made Stiles grin. Scott was amazing, but he was _Scott_ , that would be just… weird. On so many levels.

“She’s back!” the phrase practically burst out of Scott once the door had closed behind them.

Stiles bit down on the reflex to ask who. Only one ‘she’ could put that smile on Scott’s face. Alison Argent. A wonderful girl, whose father happened to be a government sanctioned werewolf hunter. Not that a tiny thing like that would bother Scott. In the face of ‘true love’ Scott had the survival instinct of a drunken lemming. “Hey man, that is great!” said Stiles, because it would take a harder man than Stiles to kick Scott when he was this happy.

“Yeah,” sighed Scott, looking off into the middle distance.

“Did the Argents come back for a job?” asked Stiles carefully.

Scott frowned, like he’d only just realised that having werewolf hunters back in town might not be a great idea for him, the werewolf. Not to mention his best friend who now happened to work in an illegal brothel for werewolves. “No,” Scott shook his head. “Allison came back with her Aunt Kate. I don’t think her Dad is all that happy about it, but…”

Scott looked sad, and a sad Scott… no. “But she’s back right? So you gonna meet up?”

They chatted for a while about Allison, but then Stiles really needed to get back to work so they headed back down. Derek was stood at the front desk staring daggers at the stairs like they done him a personal injury.

“Hey, Derek!” said Scott cheerfully as he breezed out the door like a man in love. Not even Derek’s eyebrows of doom were going to dent his mood. 

Derek held his hand out for the key, doubling the intensity of his glare at Stiles, possibly to make up for his utter failure to affect Scott in any way. “You shouldn’t keep the room tied up like that,” he practically growled.

“Dude, it was less than ten minutes,” protested Stiles. “Call it a break.”

“So you didn’t charge him much then,” replied Derek as he turned away to hang the key back up.

“Don’t be such an asshole,” replied Stiles heading back to the bar area. It might have been a figment of his imagination but he could swear he could feel Derek’s eye’s boring into his back as he walked away. Suddenly Stiles was aware quite how tight his t-shirt and jeans were in a way he’d mostly forgotten about over the course of the evening he could feel his face flushing, which was just ridiculous under the circumstances.

Erica was circling the room like a shark, and ten minutes later she nudged a creepy looking guy away from a tired looking Isaac towards Stiles. Stiles smiled brightly at the guy as Isaac mouthed ‘thank you’ behind his back. Stiles and the guy chatted for a few minutes than he practically dragged Stiles to the front desk.

Derek was growling low in his throat and his eyes flashed red for a second. Creepy guy looked unsure; he took another step towards the desk pulling Stiles along by the wrist.

“We’re closed,” snapped Derek loudly, with more than a little Alpha in his voice. Creepy guy and the couple of others in the bar all left as quickly as they could. Even Erica looked a little disturbed. 

Everyone left, disappearing to wherever they went when they weren’t here. Isaac, Boyd and Erica had their own private rooms upstairs, almost a self-contained apartment. But Stiles found himself stood in front of Derek. “What was that?” he asked, nonplussed. “How do you even make any money on this place?” he sounded more annoyed than he was, Stiles never did like an unsolved mystery.

Derek looked like he was going to say something but then he changed his mind. He looked at Stiles for a long moment and then just said, “Go home, Stiles.”

Stiles felt a hot rush of some unpleasant emotion. He hated being dismissed even more than unsolved mysteries. “No,” he said firmly, holding his ground. “Why are you even here? I know why I’m here and Boyd’s here for Erica. Erica and Isaac just don’t have anywhere else to go, but you? You’ve got money, and you fucking _hate_ this place. What’s going on?”

“Why do you care?” accused Derek harshly. “You’re getting what you want. Besides you’ve got Scott to worry about. Get out so I can lock up.”

“Whatever,” replied Stiles hotly. “I need to get changed.” And with that he stomped off to the bathrooms. If he took longer than normal to change just to spite Derek? Well what of it?


	4. Chapter 4

“Scott!” said Stiles for the four thousandth time. “It will be fine. It’s just dinner.”

“What if Allison’s aunt hates me?” asked Scott not bothering to lift his head up from the cheap plastic surface of the canteen table.

“Well that would be a problem,” started Stiles, ignoring Scott’s groan. “ _If_ Allison’s aunt was the one you wanted to date. Which I’m assuming she isn’t?”

Scott lifted his head up enough to glare at Stiles.

“Relax. Allison loves you, man. Most of her family already hate you anyway, like professionally. What’s one more?” Stiles asked, cramming curly fries into his mouth. 

“You are such a comfort to me,” said Scott blankly. 

“Atta boy,” grinned Stiles. “Now we have classes, so get your game face on wolfboy.”

Scott just groaned again. 

**

The rest of the day passed without incident. Scott even managed to calm down a little and get the whole ‘dinner with Alison’s aunt’ into perspective. Of course this calm couldn’t last. As Stiles was pulling the jeep out of his parking spot there was a sudden bang on the driver’s side window. Stiles jumped nearly out of his skin, banging his head on the roof. He pulled the emergency brake with force and pulled a disbelieving face at Scott through the glass. Scott looked back at him practically distraught.

Stiles wound the window down. “What?”

“My car won’t start! What am I going to do?” asked Scott panicked.

“You’re a werewolf,” Stiles reminded him. “You could probably run there faster than you would get there in your mom’s old car anyway!”

Scott glared at his friend. “Yes! Because bringing attention to the werewolf thing when meeting someone from a family of hunters is a good idea!”

Stiles sighed. “You realise they already know right?”

“Stiles! Help me,” pleaded Scott.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Fine! Hold out your hand.” Stiles pulled the keys to the jeep out of the ignition and dropped them into Scott’s outstretched palm. He climbed over to the passenger side. “Well then? Get in.”

Scott beamed as he climbed in. “Dude, your letting me drive!”

Stiles sighed. “You **will** treat her like the lady she is, understand? Have her home by midnight. And don’t overuse second gear, okay? It’s a bit… fragile.”

“You are my best friend,” said Scott solemnly pulling out of the space fully.

“Oh, and drop me off at Derek’s,” said Stiles.

“Derek’s” said Scott with a frown. “I didn't think you were working tonight?”

“I’m not, Derek doesn't open Tuesday nights. I must have left my phone there. I've looked everywhere else.”

Scott’s frown deepened. “How are you going to get home?”

Stiles shrugged. “Boyd works at a bar in town tonight, I’ll beg a lift. Don’t worry, just go make a good impression on the aunt, okay?”

“Right,” said Scott, switching back to nervous boyfriend mode.

**

There was a horrible crunch of gears as Scott pulled away from the Hale house and Stiles shouted at the vehicle as it drove away. “Watch second gear!” He shook his head and headed up the drive to the house. Derek’s car was parked out front next to a sliver BMW Stiles didn't recognise. He raised his hand to knock but Derek opened the door before Stiles hand could make contact with the wood. Stupid werewolf hearing.

“What do you want?” growled Derek.

“Cheerful, even for you,” replied Stiles. “I think I left my phone here.” He tried to push past Derek but Derek didn’t budge. 

“No,” said Derek. 

“No?” repeated Stiles. “Yeah right, just let me in Derek.”

Derek’s eyes flashed red for a split second. “I said no.”

Stiles took an involuntary step back. “The Alpha crap doesn't work on me,” he said well aware his heartbeat was calling him a liar. 

“It’s quite alright,” came a deep voice from behind Derek. “Our business for today is concluded. Same time next week?”

Derek looked almost subdued nodding and stepping out of the way to let an older man past. “Of course, Mr Deucalion. Have a safe journey.”

The man was dressed in a suit carrying a briefcase; he looked at Stiles and smiled, or at least showed some teeth. “Mr Stilinski?” he asked pleasantly. “You’re the omega McCall’s friend. Mr McCall is angling to join the new pack?”

“No,” said Derek again like it was his favourite word. “Scott and Stiles have nothing to do with this.”

Deucalion smirked like he knew better. “Well, I must be off. Good day gentlemen.” He nodded at them both and walked to the BMW parked next to Derek’s Camaro.

“I know that guy, he came to see Scott’s mom just after Scott was turned. They wanted him to join a pack.” said Stiles watching the car pull away. 

“He’s head of the Alpha pack,” said Derek. “They’re supposed to keep track of all the werewolves in the USA. If you’re not registered then you’re fair game for hunters.”

Stiles eyes widened. “You’re registered right?”

Derek rolled his eyes at Stiles and gestured for Stiles to come in. “I was born a werewolf. My birth certificate counts as registered.”

“So why the weekly visits from tall, blond, and creepy?” asked Stiles as they walked to the ‘staff room’ a ground floor room with a couple of lockers and a place to get changed, attached to a shower room.

Derek shrugged. “Isaac and Boyd want to be turned, I need permission to do that or they’ll be unregistered werewolves. Like Scott was until he had his visit from Deucalion. Why didn't he join a pack anyway?”

Stiles was a little surprised Derek asked, this was possibly the most they’d ever spoken to each other. “There were no packs in the area and he didn't want to leave Beacon Hills. Did you have to go through all this to turn Erica?” Stiles started looking around for his phone, oddly Derek was helping.

“He didn't want to leave you,” said Derek staring straight at Stiles.

“I suppose,” agreed Stiles not really sure what Derek was getting at. “But also his Mom would have had to change jobs, and Scott would have had to change schools. And there was Alison. Ah-ha! Here it is!” Stiles held up his phone triumphantly.

“Alison?” asked Derek.

“His girlfriend,” said Stiles absently, checking his phone for messages. “Hey, is Boyd going into town later? I need a lift.”

“He’s left already, he took Erica and Isaac in too, they went shopping. Scott’s girlfriend?” Derek had a shocked expression on his face that Stiles couldn't figure out.

“Yeah his girlfriend, she left town for a while but she’s back now. Man, you should see Scott. He’s so happy, even though he’s got to do the whole dinner with the in-laws thing tonight.” confirmed Stiles.

“Does she know about the two of you?” asked Derek with more than a little bit of spite in his voice.

“What about ‘the two of us’,” questioned Stiles. “We’re friends.”

Derek gave him a knowing look. “I’m a _werewolf_ Stiles. You smell like him all the time. Even after… even after you've been… working.”

Stiles felt his face heat up. “We’re _friends_ , Derek. We live out of each other’s pockets, sure but… my Dad and his Mom work long hours, okay? We practically grew up together. I have never had sex with Scott!”

Derek still didn't look like he believed him. “I’ll drive you home,” he said gruffly.

Stiles felt like turning it down out of principle, but there were strange werewolves in town and he wasn't actually stupid. 

They were about halfway to town when either of them spoke again. Stiles was never very good with silences and he wasn't really sure _why _but he wanted Derek to believe that he wasn't having sex with Scott.__

__“So, Scott’s never subjected you to the ‘Allison talk’ then?” asked Stiles._ _

__Derek didn't take his eyes off the road. “Scott and I don’t talk much.”_ _

__“Dude, you don’t talk much, period. You just growl and flash the red peepers at people until they run away,” said Stiles._ _

__“You don’t run away,” said Derek._ _

__“I’m not exactly your biggest fan either,” scoffed Stiles._ _

__“No but you’re not… you've never been scared of me. Of anything. Even when you should be,” said Derek._ _

__Stiles looked at Derek’s profile as he drove. “Why me?” he asked, the question that had been burning him for months. “You were so determined to get me to come and work for you. Why?”_ _

__Derek just looked frustrated, frowning at the road ahead like it had done him some grievous injury. “Because,” he said in a flat tone._ _

__Stiles sighed. “What is it? Are you allergic to a straight answer or something?”_ _

__Derek didn't reply and soon they pulled up in front of Stiles house, dark because no-one was home. His Dad was back in the hospital again. Suddenly and inexplicably Stiles was angry. Really, really angry. Nothing in his life was really his own anymore. Between school, and Scott, and his Dad being sick. And here was Derek, saying nothing, not making any move to make Stiles leave the car._ _

__“What do you want, Derek?” he asked angrily. “Do you even know? You just keep pulling this mysterious Alpha stick. It’s infuriating!”_ _

__“You’re infuriating!” countered Derek. “You never react the way you’re supposed too.”_ _

__“Oh, really? Enlighten me, how exactly am I supposed to…”_ _

__Derek grabbed hold of Stiles t-shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. The angle was awkward and Stiles was taken completely by surprise. He gasped and Derek was still kissing him desperately, like this was the only chance he’d ever get. Stiles pushed Derek back hard. Derek looked completely shell shocked for a second before his face flushed and dropped his gaze to the steering wheel in front of him like it held the secrets of the world._ _

__“I… what?” asked Stiles, for once unsure of what to say._ _

__“I’m sorry,” said Derek quietly. “You should go.”_ _

__Stiles forced his mouth to close and somehow managed to climb out of the car. He turned back before he closed the door. “I can’t Derek. Right now, I’m barely holding on as it is.” He closed the door and walked into the house before Derek had a chance to answer. He watched Derek’s car pull away from the lounge window. He collapsed onto the couch without turning on the lights._ _

__What on earth was he supposed to do now?_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about this chapter, I'm not really all that pleased with it. But I had to post something before I did something stupid like delete the whole stupid story.
> 
> Next chapter should be better...


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